Strange Fire in the House of the Lord

We need to be careful. Current fads involving angels, ecstatic
worship and necromancy could push us off the edge of spiritual sanity.

No one fully understands what Nadab and Abihu did to prompt God to
strike them dead in the sanctuary of Israel. The Bible says they loaded
their firepans with incense, ignited the substance and "offered strange
fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them" (Lev. 10:1,
NASB). As a result of their careless and irreverent behavior, fire came
from God's presence and consumed them.

Zap. In an instant they were ashes.

When Moses had to explain to Aaron what happened to the two men, he
said: "It is what the Lord spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near to Me
I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be
honored'" (v. 3). Although we don't know the details of what Nadab and
his brother did with the holy incense, we know they were careless and
irreverent about the things of God.

"We want
the miracles of God, but we also want the fear and reverence of God. We
cannot allow this strange fire to spread unchecked."

This ancient story has relevant application for us today. We don't
use incense or firepans in our worship, but we are expected to handle
God's Word with care and minister to His people in the fear of the
Lord. In other words: No funny business allowed. We aren't allowed to
mix God's Word with foreign concepts or mix our worship with pagan
practices.

Yet as I minister in various churches around this country I am
finding that strange fire is spreading in our midst-even in churches
that call themselves "Spirit-filled." Pastors and leaders need to be
aware of these trends:

1. Deadly visitations. In some charismatic circles
today, people are claiming to have spiritual experiences that involve
communication with the dead. One Michigan pastor told me last week that
some church leaders he knows promote this bizarre practice and base it
on Jesus' experience on the Mount of Transfiguration. The logic is that
since Jesus talked to Moses and Elijah on the day He was glorified,
this gives us permission to talk to dead Christians and our dead
relatives.

Although little is said about these experiences from the pulpit
(since the average believer is not ready to handle this "new
revelation"), people in some streams of the prophetic movement are
claiming to have visitations from Aimee Semple McPherson, William
Branham, John Wimber or various Bible characters. And we are expected
to say, "Ooooooo, that's so deep"-and then go looking for our own
mystical, beyond-the-grave epiphany.

That is creepy. Communication with the dead was strictly forbidden
in the Old Testament (see Deut. 18:11), and there is nothing in the New
that indicates the rules were changed. Those who seek counsel from the
dead-whether through mediums and séances or in "prophetic visions"-are
taking a dangerous step toward demonization.

2. Ecstatic rapture. Not long after ecstasy became
known as a recreational drug, someone in our movement got the bright
idea to promote spiritual ecstasy as a form of legitimate worship. The
concept evolved from "spiritual drunkenness" to the current fad in
which people gather at church altars and pretend to shoot needles in
their arms for a "spiritual high." Some preachers today are encouraging
people to "toke the Holy Ghost"-a reference to smoking marijuana.

I hate to be a party pooper, but the Bible warns us to "be of sound
judgment and sober spirit" (1 Pet. 4:7). There is plenty of freedom and
joy in the Holy Spirit; we don't have to quench it by introducing
people to pagan revelry. Christian worship is not about losing control.
Those who worship Jesus do it "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24), and
our love for God is not measured by how violently we shake or how many
times we fall on the floor.

Recently I told a friend in Pennsylvania that when people get tired
of this drug imagery it won't be long before we see some Christians
having sexual experiences at the altar. "It's already happening," my
friend said. He described a recent "worship concert" in which one of
the musicians simulated sex while stroking a microphone and whispering
sensual phrases to Jesus. What is next-orgasmic worship? God help us.

3. Angels among us. Angels have always played a
vital role in the life of the church. They are "ministering spirits"
sent to protect, guide and strengthen believers (Heb. 1:14). But
suddenly angels have become the rage in some segments of our movement.
People are claiming to see them everywhere, and often the stories don't
line up with the Word of God.

During the Lakeland Revival last year in Florida, a man from Germany
took the stage and claimed that an angel walked into a restaurant while
he was eating a hamburger, took his intestines out and replaced them
with a gold substance. Others have testified that angels took them to
heaven and operated on them. And many are claiming that angels are
dropping feathers, gold dust and precious gems on worshippers.

I know God can do anything. He can make an iron axe head float, hide
a coin in a fish's mouth and use a little boy's lunch to feed a
multitude. Those were genuine miracles that He can still do today. But
we still have to use caution here. There are counterfeits. If we
promote a false miracle or a false angel in the Lord's house, we are
participating in strange fire.

I know of a case where a man was caught planting fake jewels on the
floor of a church. He told his friends he was "seeding the room" to
lift the people's faith. I know of others who have been caught putting
gold glitter on themselves in a restroom and then running back in a
church service, only to claim that God was blessing them with this
special favor. Where is the fear of God when Christians would actually
fabricate a miracle?

This is a time for all true believers with backbones to draw clear
lines between what is godly worship and what is pagan practice. We want
the miracles of God, but we also want the fear and reverence of God. We
cannot allow this strange fire to spread unchecked.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. He will be ministering
from Feb. 17-27 in England. If this article was forwarded to you, we
encourage you to sign up to receive "Fire in My Bones" weekly in your
own mailbox. Click here.

Lydia Nettle and Jackie Dotson Thank you so much for coming to speak to us. We were exicted about you coming and are still exicted about what we heard. You are truly an inspiration to us. Your positive attitude was a blessing and we enjoyed being uplifted in those wonderful songs that you lead. It was hard to keep up! We pray that you continue to be a blessing in the lives of so many others. Love you, Your brother and sister in Christ, Jackie and Lydia

Add a New Comment

Name:

Email/URL (Optional):

Comment:

Enter the code:

Comment Guidelines: No HTML is allowed. Off-topic or inappropriate comments will be edited or deleted.

For more detailed information about the vision of the Communion of Apostolic Churches, what we believe, and how we are structured and governed see page entitled Constitution.

Also, for details about becoming a member network or jurisdiction of churches, a member minister, and/or congregation you may write the CAC in care of the Presiding Apostle George Kouri at gekouri@mac.com.